Building block assembly

ABSTRACT

A multisided building block having a cavity along each side in a peripheral zone of the block and an outwardly directed open socket held within the cavity. In an adjoining position of two building blocks, a socket belonging to one block is aligned with, and is in a close vicinity of a socket belonging to the other, adjoining block. There are further provided plugs, each conforming in shape to the socket opening and positioned within the aligned sockets for interconnecting the same.

United States Patent m1 von der Ley 1 5] Dec. 16, 1975 [541 BUILDINGBLOCK ASSEMBLY [76] Inventor: Jurgen von der Ley, Rothelteich 41,

D-5828 Ennepetal 14, Germany 1 1 Filed: June 4, 1974 [2]] Appl. No.:476,256

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data June 16, 1973 Germany 2330772[52] US. Cl. 52/585; 52/307; 52/589 [51] Int. Cl. E04C 1/14; EO4C 1/42[58] Field of Search 52/582, 583,585, 586, 52/589, 475, 476, 306-308,315, 656

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS V 1,294,224 2/1919Bellingham 52/586 2,176,213 10/1939 Duffy 52/475 2,920,475 1/1960 Graham52/583 3,124,858 3/1964 Blonde 52/585 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS493,210 10/1919 France 52/585 497,627 12/1919 France 52/585 647,2497/1928 France 52/585 PII'HIZU') Examiner-Ernest R. Purser AssistantExaminer-James L. Ridgill, Jr. Attorner, Agent, or FirmSpencer & Kaye[57] ABSTRACT A multisided building block having a cavity along eachside in a peripheral zone of the block and an outwardly directed opensocket held within the cavity. In an adjoining position of two buildingblocks, a socket belonging toone block is aligned with, and is in aclose vicinity of a socket belonging to the other, adjoining block.There are further provided plugs, each conforming in shape to the socketopening and positioned within the aligned sockets for interconnectingthe same.

5 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures U.S. Patent Dec. 16,1975 Sheet10f43,925,950

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U.S. Patsnt Dec. 16,1975 Sheet30f4 3,925,950

US. Patent Dec. 16,1975 Sheet40f4 3,925,950

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I BUILDING BLOCK ASSEMBLY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This inventionrelates to a building block particularly for ornamental purposes and isof the type that usually has an outer frame serving as a carrier for apanel which is made of artificial glass or the like and which ispreferably disposed in the longitudinal central plane of the outerframe. 1

Building blocks of the afore-outlined type are generally known.According to a conventional structure, the individual building blockscan be attached to one an other by mutual anchoring, to form a wall. Theanchoring of the individual building blocks to one another isconventionally accomplished by means of groove and tongue joints. Thedisadvantage of such an anchoring connection resides in the fact thatthe individual building blocks can be anchored to one another only bysliding one block into the other. If a' great number of such buildingblocks is to be used for obtaining a large wall, substantial labor isrequired because of the relatively long sliding displacement necessaryfor each individual building block. It is a further disadvantage of theabove-outlined known arrangement that during the sliding of a buildingblock in and with respect to another, the guidance is usually not smoothand may even be impeded between the individual building blocks at thelocations of seams.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide animproved building block of the afore-outlined type which is simple tomanufacture and which makes possible an uncomplicated assembly of theblocks in the shortest period of time and ensures, despite alight-weight structure, a high stability of the wall formed by thebuilding blocks.

This object and others to become apparent as the specificationprogresses are accomplished by the invention, according to which,briefly stated, the multisided building block has a cavity along eachside in a peripheral zoneof the block and an outwardly directed opensocket held within the cavity. In an adjoining position of two buildingblocks, a socket belonging to one block is aligned with, and is in aclose vicinity of a socket belonging to the other, adjoining block.There are further provided plugs, each conforming in shape to the socketopening and positioned within the aligned sockets for interconnectingthe same.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS ,FIG. 1 is a front elevational. view,partially broken away, of two interconnected building blocks designedaccording to a preferred embodiment.

' FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a component shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the component shown in FIG. 2.

. FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of one building block designedaccording to the same embodiment.

FIG. 4a is a front elevational view of a building block designedaccording to another preferred embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the building block illustrated in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the building block illustrated inFIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged side elevational view of the location ofconnection between two building blocks according to FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 4.

FIG. 8a is a sectional view taken along line VIIIa- VIIIa of FIG. 4a.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line IX-IX of FIG. 4.

FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 illustrate front elevational views of a plurality ofinterconnected building blocks in three different types of arrangement.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Turning now to FIGS. 1, 4 and9, the building block generally indicated at 1 and constituting apreferred embodiment of the invention has a rectangular frame 2 ofgenerally U-shaped section. It is expedient to so dimension the buildingblock 1 that the length of a long side 2" of the frame 2 is an integermultiple (expediently double) of the length of a short side 2. As it maybe observed, the outwardly directed free legs of the U- shaped frame 2are designated at 3' along one short side 2 of the frame 2 and at 5along the other short side 2'. Further, the free legs are designated at3 along one long side 2 of the frame 2 and at 5 along the other longside 2". Each leg has, along its outer, marginal zone, arib-and-shoulder formation. In the rib-andshoulder 4 of the adjoininglegs 3 and 3 the shoulders are oriented towards one another, while inthe rib-andshoulder 6 of the adjoining legs 5 and 5 the shoulders arefacing away from one another. Stated differently, the rib-and-shoulderformations in the legs of each frame side are oppositely oriented withrespect to those in the opposite, parallel frame side. As a result, asit may be well observed in FIG. 7, adjoining building blocks 1 fit intoone another by virtue of the complemental, conforming, interfittingrelationship between a rib-and-shoulder formation 4 associated with theone building block and a rib-and-shoulder formation 6 associated withthe other building block.

As further seen in FIG. 7, each block frame 2 has at the outer face 7 ofits floor 7 a circumferential groove 8 for receiving edge zones of theblock panel 9. The floor 7 which is formed by the web or connecting partof the U, is disposed at such an angle that the floor portion 7 iselevated with respect to the adjacent floor portion 7 disposed at theother side of the panel face. The panel 9 may be snapped orshrunk-fitted into the groove 8 and, because of the higher position ofthe floor portion 7", it is supported to a greater extent in the zone ofthe floor portion 7" than in the zone of the floor portion 7".

Between the parallel frame legs along each side, that is, in theperipheral zone of the building block 1, there are provided outwardlyopen cavities 10. In the inner spaces or cavities 10 there are providedoutwardly oriented and outwardly open sockets 11 which extend from thefloor 7 and which are uniformly spaced from one another. In any twoadjoining building blocks 1 the distance of a corner socket belonging toone building block from an adjacent corner socket belonging to theother, adjoining building block is identical to the distance A betweensockets 11 within one building block, as it may be observed in FIG. 5.Stated differently and as it may also be seen in FIG. 5 the distance Abetween the centers of two adjoining sockets 11 is twice the distancebetween the center of an outermost socket and the adjacent end of theblock side. The socket edge 11 of each socket 11 is inwardly chamfered,as it may be observed, for example, in FIG. 1. It may also be seen thatthe sockets 11 do not project beyond the outline of the building block.Preferably, the socket edge 11 is slightly recessed from the blockoutline. The middle sockets 11 in the frame sides 2" are connected withthe legs of the U-frame 2 by means of transverse bridge members 12 (FIG.5). The corner sockets 11 extend in a miter joint-like manner fromoblique walls 13 in the inner spaces of the frame 2, as best seen inFIG. 1.

The building blocks 1 are connectable to one another by means of aconnecting element 14 as it may be observed in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. Theconnecting element 14 comprises two hollow connecting plugs which aresecured together by means of a web 16. The web 16 has a width b whichcorresponds to the inner distance b (FIG. 6) between theparallel-extending legs of the U- frarne. As it may be observed in FIGS.2 and 3, the web 16 is attached to the plugs 15 in such a manner that itsurrounds about one half the circumference of the plugs 15. Thecenter-to-center distance between the two interconnected plugs 15 isidentical to the distance A between two sockets 11. The connectingelement 14 may be inserted either along the long frame side 2" or theshort frame side 2 into aligned sockets 11 of two adjoining buildingblocks 1. As it is illustrated in FIGS. 10, l1 and 12, the buildingblocks may be secured to one another in different patterns (aligned orstaggered) to form a wall surface. It is feasible especially in case ofvertically superposed adjoining building blocks to use a connectingelement formed but of a single plug 15.

Turning now to FIGS. 4a and 8a, the exemplary embodiment of the buildingblock illustrated therein differs from the previously describedembodiment essentially only in that instead of a sole central panel 9,the block frame supports two parallel-spaced panels 9' and 9" on eitherside of a central plane passing through the building block.

It may be feasible, however, to practice the invention in a buildingblock body which lacks separate frame and panel components.

By virtue of the invention as described above, there are providedbuilding blocks which may be rapidly assembled to form a wall having anoptimal stability. The U-shaped frame ensures that the building blockhas very small weight but has nevertheless an optimal rigidity. Thesockets 11 which are accommodated in the outwardly directed, inner space10 defined by the legs and web of the U-frame, further increase thestability of the building block. The connecting plugs 15 provided foranchoring two adjoining building blocks to one another are entirelyhidden from view and are also accommodated within the space 10. Thesockets 11 as well as the connecting plugs 15 may have, for example, acircular or polygonal cross section. Each connecting plug, by virtue ofits penetration by one-half of its length into the socket in onebuilding block and by the other half of its length into the alignedsocket of the adjoining building block ensures a great built-instability in the transversal direction between the blocks. By virtue ofconnecting two plugs 15 with a web 16, in addition to a verticalconnection, the building blocks can also be arranged horizontallyside-by-side in which case the web 16 is preferably dimensioned in sucha manner stabilizing effect; they may be made in a simple and eeonomicalmanner with substantial savings of material. By virtue of theparticular, interfitting cross-sectional shape of the frame legs, thebuilding blocks may be attached to one another practically withoutclearance and thus in a substantially water-tight manner. Theinterengaging, overlapping arrangement of the rib-andshoulder formationsis present at all sides of the build ing block and thus the stability ofthe wall is further increased. This design makes possible in variousmutual arrangements of the building blocks, as illustrated in FIGS. 10,11 and 12, a secure and stable connection between the individualbuilding blocks. Further, the deformation stability of the individualbuilding blocks when exposed to weather effects is ensured in a verysatisfactory manner. The relatively long frame sides are connectedsection-wise and thus are maintained in a parallel relationship even incase of extreme heat or cold. The oblique walls 13 at the corners of theinner spaces 10 of the frame serve in a favorable manner for stabilizingsimultaneously two mutually angularly arranged frame portions withoutdisturbing the uniform distribution of the sockets 11. The connectingplugs 15 may be easily inserted into the inwardly chamfered openings ofthe sockets, but once inserted, they are held without play. It isfeasible to provide conically shaped connecting plugs to further enhancea clearance-free positioning thereof in the sockets. In case thebuilding blocks according to the invention are used for constructingoutdoor walls, for example wind breakers for terraces, it is expedientto ensure that, on the one hand, the block panel 9 is fixedly arrangedwithin the building block and, on the other hand, any block panel iseasily replaceable in case of damage. The higher floor portion 7" of theframe with respect to the floor portion 7" ensures that the panel 9 isprotected by the more elevated portion 7 against wind pressure (FIG. 7).For replacing a damaged panel, the latter may simply be pushed out inthe direction of the lower frame floor portion 7 A new panel 9 may besnapped 'into the receiving groove 8 or, in case of a more solid blockmaterial, it may be shrunk-fitted by means of heating. The buildingblocks shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 are dim ensioned in such a manner that twobuilding blocks adjoining one another along their long sides complementeach other into a square and thus the building blocks may be attached toone another altematingly with horizontal and vertical orientation.

It will be understood that the above description of the presentinvention is susceptible to various modifications, changes andadaptations, and the same are intended to be comprehended within themeaning and range of equivalents of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a building block'assembly, a building block having a four-sidedframe and a panel surrounded by the frame; each frame side havinglongitudinally extending, parallel-spaced legs and an interconnectingfloor together defining an outwardly open, generally U-shap ed crosssection, wherein the improvement comprises in combination:

a. a rib-and-shoulder formation provided on an outer zone of each leg oneach side of the frame; the

shoulders of the rib-and-shoulder formation on two adjoining sides ofthe frame being oriented towards one another; the shoulders of therib-and-shoulder formation on the other two adjoining sides of the framebeing oriented away from one another;

b. a plurality of outwardly open, tubular sockets disposed centrallybetween the two legs of each frame side on the interconnecting floor andconnected to the legs by transverse bridge members; said sockets beingdistributed along the length of each frame side; the distance betweenany adjoining two sockets in one frame side being twice the distance ofan outermost socket from the adjacent end of the frame; each socket hasa terminal edge that is recessed with respect to said outer edges of thelegs; and

c. a removable and reinsertable coupling member conforming in shape toeach socket opening for being received by the socket.

2. A building block as defined in claim 1, wherein said sides consist oftwo long sides of equal length and two short sides of equal length,either of said long sides having a length that is an integer multiple ofthe length of either of said short sides.

3. A building block defined in claim 1, further including oblique walls,one positioned to extend to each intersection between two adjoiningsides; the outermost socket on one side and the adjacent outermostsocket of an adjoining side extend at right angles to one anotheroutwardly from one and the same said oblique wall.

4. A building block as defined in claim 1, wherein the coupling memberis formed of a plurality of plugs conforming in shape to each socketopening for being received by the socket; and a web rigidly andpermanently connecting said plugs with one another to define a distancetherebetween that is identical to the distance between any two adjoiningsockets in a frame side; said web having a width dimensioned to fitbetween the legs of any said frame side; said web having a thicknessdimensioned to fit between the recessed terminal edges of two alignedsockets of two adjoining building bloc ks.

5. A building block as defined in claim 4, wherein said plugs have atubular configuration and said web connected to said plugs surroundsabout one half of the circumference of said plugs.

1. In a building block assembly, a building block having a foursidedframe and a panel surrounded by the frame; each frame side havinglongitudinally extending, parallel-spaced legs and an interconnectingfloor together defining an outwardly open, generally U-shaped crosssection, wherein the improvement comprises in combination: a. arib-and-shoulder formation provided on an outer zone of each leg on eachside of the frame; the shoulders of the riband-shoulder formation on twoadjoining sides of the frame being oriented towards one another; theshoulders of the riband-shoulder formation on the other two adjoiningsides of the frame being oriented away from one another; b. a pluralityof outwardly open, tubular sockets disposed centrally between the twolegs of each frame side on the interconnecting floor and connected tothe legs by transverse bridge members; said sockets being distributedalong the length of each frame side; the distance between any adjoiningtwo sockets in one frame side being twice the distance of an outermostsocket from the adjacent end of the frame; each socket has a terminaledge that is recessed with respect to said outer edges of the legs; andc. a removable and reinsertable coupling member conforming in shape toeach socket opening for being received by the socket.
 2. A buildingblock as defined in claim 1, wherein said sides consist of two longsides of equal length and two short sides of equal length, either ofsaid long sides having a length that is an integer multiple of thelength of either of said short sIdes.
 3. A building block as defined inclaim 1, further including oblique walls, one positioned to extend toeach intersection between two adjoining sides; the outermost socket onone side and the adjacent outermost socket of an adjoining side extendat right angles to one another outwardly from one and the same saidoblique wall.
 4. A building block as defined in claim 1, wherein thecoupling member is formed of a plurality of plugs conforming in shape toeach socket opening for being received by the socket; and a web rigidlyand permanently connecting said plugs with one another to define adistance therebetween that is identical to the distance between any twoadjoining sockets in a frame side; said web having a width dimensionedto fit between the legs of any said frame side; said web having athickness dimensioned to fit between the recessed terminal edges of twoaligned sockets of two adjoining building blocks.
 5. A building block asdefined in claim 4, wherein said plugs have a tubular configuration andsaid web connected to said plugs surrounds about one half of thecircumference of said plugs.